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Alonge’s passionate lens, exciting capture


Passionate lens, exciting capture -- that about captures the unique, breathless and gripping photographic world of Bolaji Alonge, as he mounts his exhibition, Urban Culture - Historical Continuity, which opens in Lagos, Nigeria, on Sunday, November 11, at One Draw Gallery.
From Epe, Lagos to Wikki Warm Springs at Yankari, Bauchi State, to Osogbo in Osun State, to across the Niger Bridge and into remote areas in Nigeria, as well as other parts of the world, Alonge has seen it all, including underwater and has documented them. 
Passionate photography and daring adventure are Alonge's great combination, which makes him a unique and exciting brand. Armed with these two appeals, he has captured amazing locations and scenery, with his camera. He has travelled to places across the country, capturing rarely seen photographed treasures and people, including holiday destinations and hidden wildlife underwater. 
The upcoming solo photography exhibition, will feature 30 exhibits. Urban Culture - Historical Continuity presents the contrast between life in Lagos and nearby villages where time seems to stand still.
The exhibition is organised by One Draw and curated by the director of the gallery, Segun Adejumo. “His visual language," Adejumo gushes of Alonge's works, "speaks of the wonders of nature and human exchange, urban culture and searches for historical continuity, in a world that is sometimes heavily fractured. His lens exposes contrast and conflict, while offering an alternative vision of one-ness, order in chaos. 
Recurring themes reflect the challenges people face today and Bolaji manages to expose beauty where it is not expected. Nigeria is a restless country, with shifting realities, one foot in the past the other reaching for a better future. Due to political turmoil, the lives of many were put on hold, which has contributed to a sense of resilience, but also constant flares of resistance. Music, food and good times are part of everyday life and a source of pleasure, inspiration and exuberance."
"Urban Culture – Historical Continuity is about Nigeria today," Adejumo continues, "fearlessly looking towards the future.  Alonge also celebrates the wonders of nature by honouring a tiny green frog. Opolo is a symbol of the abundant wildlife in the Lagos Lagoon, waiting to be discovered. It is Kerala, the Amazon and some deep rainforests in South East Asia combined. A beautiful disaster, exogenous seaweed, has taken over the Lagoon, stopping life in its tracks. As far as the eye can see, Water Hyacinths create the sensation of endless green fields, peppered with brilliant pink flowers”. 
Alonge's exhibition includes a rare aerial view of Lagos Marina and the entire Lagos Central Business District (CBD). While on the streets, chaos seems to be the norm, from up there Lagos has all the characteristics of an African megapolis, shining under the sun”. Femi Anikulapo-Kuti and the Queens of the New Afrika Shrine are also a beloved subject for Alonge, celebrating joy but also deeply rooted resistance and belief in a better future free from corruption and strife. The show also touches upon societal concerns such as #LazyNigerianYouths and the on-going migration crisis.
He also pictures Makoko, the “Venice of Lagos”. “In the midst of chaos and under the threat of destruction, Makoko is not only surviving but thriving. In Lagos, hope is seemingly everlasting”. Another stolen moment is the image of Tarkwa Bay, an idyllic spot just a short boat ride from the heart of Lagos. In the background, the first highrise buildings of the Eko Atlantic project appear. 
Alonge is an artist, photographer, actor and journalist from Lagos, Nigeria. He is also a globetrotter who has travelled the world during the last decade documenting exotic culture and history, pushed forward by a wanderlust instilled in him since childhood.
He was born in Lagos, first of five siblings with a father in the Nigerian air force, and a loving mother who took care of the family. His dad passed on his passion for photography to Bolaji, who spent time with him taking and developing images as a child. He studied Mass Communication at the University of Lagos in the rowdy nineties, while exploring his acting skills at the famous Theatre 15 UNILAG. Ever since, he has acted in a range of theatre, television and movie projects. 
This experience and his travels made this artist a great storyteller who loves to share his photography and the deeper meaning of the stunning images he presents. 
“I encourage young Africans to take up the camera and document history – those memories that make up the fabric of existence. In order to move forward we have to know where we come from. I do it by searching for unique shots, that become integrated in the mood boards of our lives”. 
“I aim to capture the reality of the average African – a mix of stark realities that might seem chaotic but have their own functionality – however disorganized it looks at first sight. Life works in Africa too. The two main components of chaos theory are the idea that systems, no matter how complex, rely upon an underlying order, and that very simple or small systems and events can cause very complex behaviours. This is a red thread throughout my work today”. 
Alonge
In May 2017, he organized his Eyes of a Lagos Boy photo exhibition at the prestigious Freedom Park in Lagos to critical acclaim. The show presented iconic images of everyday life and societal concerns from Nigeria, Egypt, the Netherlands, Oman, Germany, India, Turkey and Sweden. The show was declared a resounding success in terms of attendance and response from both the Nigerian and international audience, giving birth to his photographic brand. This project also brought Bolaji closer to Freedom Park, making it his creative base. “Eyes of a Lagos Boy” ran 20-27 May 2017 at Freedom Park and hosted Africa’s first Nobel Laureate (Literature), Professor Wole Soyinka, among numerous guests. 
As a marketing stunt that became popular in its own right, Bolaji came up with branded t-shirts that have been turning heads in Lagos and abroad. None less than Femi Anikulapo-Kuti, the son of African superstar and creator of Afrobeat Fela Anikulapo- Kuti and a global music icon, wears it with pride. Bolaji is a regular at the New Afrika Shrine, a grove of deep rhythms for those addicted to freedom. Bolaji has been documenting Femi for years and is a dedicated “shrine rat”. 
Alonge with a friend in the sea
Alonge also works on social and documentary projects, such as a campaign on the human right to water, the Epe Waterside Health Care Project, that documents small communities living along the Lagos Lagoon and their health challenges, a series of art and photography education workshops at Kiri-Kiri maximum security prison and others. He is a passionate deep sea-diver and activist for ecological justice. 
Exhibition runs till Sunday, November 25 November, 2018. One Draw is an artist experience, consultancy, gallery, and research centre for the fine arts. One Draw brings the intuitive representation of the familiar in drawing, painting and sculpture. The idea is to bring a profound experience into the mundane, to open the ordinary eyes to the intellectuality in what seems pedestrian by highlighting through exquisite draughtsmanship and intuitive rendition the beauty of everyday experience/life. 
By Udemma Chukwuma

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